Stolen Teaser
by Sorentense
Summary: A small consolation prize to those of you upset by the last three chapters of Stolen. (And yes, this really will be part of the actual story in a few more chapters. Until then, here's your dose of Loki/Sigyn sweetness.)


"A feast?" Sigyn tipped her head to one side. "I thought you _hated _gong to feasts."

Loki slipped his arms around her waist. "Now that I have a loving wife to go with, I think I can bear it." He rubbed his cheek against hers, delighted to feel her cuddle up to him again. "Besides, it's Thor's birthday. He'll be hurt if we don't attend."

Sigyn twisted around to look back at him. "His birthday is_ today_?"

He chuckled. "Haven't you seen all the bustle of preparation, darling? I thought for sure Sif told you."

"She did, I just… I haven't kept the best track of time." Sigyn elbowed his stomach. "I've had quite a bit on my mind."

"I know," he said softly, holding her close.

Sigyn leaned back into him for a moment, then turned a puzzled look to him. "What time are we supposed to be there?"

"It starts in twenty minutes." Loki laughed as she gasped, tore herself from his arms, and hurried to dress._ Yes, things are finally back to normal._

o-o-o-o

Fifteen minutes _late_, Sigyn entered the grand hall on Loki's arm. "Are you sure my armor is on correctly?" There hadn't been time to call a servant, so she had enlisted Loki's questionable help to dress.

He grinned down at her. "You look perfect. I hope Thor won't be jealous when all eyes turn from him to you."

Sigyn blushed, subtly glancing around. Everyone _did _turn to stare at them as they passed, but she was sure it had nothing to do with her. _They're staring because one prince is late for the other's birthday party. That's all. _"Thor won't be upset that we're late, will he?"

Loki chuckled and was about to answer when Thor himself caught sight of them. "Brother! Sister! You've finally arrived, eh?" He left the royal table to come embrace them both. "I was beginning to fear you'd forgotten my birthday!" Thor's eyes fell on his wedding gift, which Loki had clasped around her neck at the last minute.

Sigyn answered his happy smile with one of her own and a light kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Thor." She tried not to wince when he crushed her ribcage again.

Loki smacked his brother's shoulder affectionately. "If it's all the same to you, Brother, I prefer my wife with all her bones _intact._"

Thor released her instantly, running a hand through his golden hair to cover his embarrassment. "Ah… Yes, well… Come and join the feast!" He threw an arm around each of them, leading them toward the royal table.

Frigga and Odin smiled as they approached. "Sit here, darlings," the queen invited, indicating two empty chairs beside her. Thor resumed his place of honor, on the opposite side of the open seats. "We were hoping you would attend." Her gaze met Sigyn's as Loki led her to her seat, and the princess answered her silent question with a smile and nod.

Loki pulled her chair out from the table, and she flashed him another smile before sitting down – and falling right through the bottom. She yelped, catching the edge of the table, and glared up at Loki, who was looking innocent.

"Oh dear, what is this?" Loki pushed the offending chair aside. "It seems we have a broken chair here." He pulled his own out from the table. "I suppose we will just have to share."

Sigyn laughed and let him help her up. "What a convenient, plausible coincidence," she replied, allowing him to seat her on his lap. Beside them, she could see Thor shaking with barely contained laughter. "When did you sabotage that chair?"

"A good trickster doesn't tell those things," he told her, smiling enigmatically. "Here, have some roast boar. If you wait another minute, Thor will eat it all."

"Nonsense!" Thor huffed. "I will set aside the best for my sweet sister-in-law." He shoved Loki good-naturedly. "Now _you_, my brother, had better hurry!"

Loki sent him a mock glare. "Don't make me sabotage your chair, too."

Sigyn passed the plate in front of them to be filled. "Speaking of sabotage, my love, you'll have to share your plate with me. I'm not sure I want to know what you did to mine."

"You suspect me of doing something to your plate?" Her husband feigned surprise. "How could you be so cold, love?"

"It has_ legs, _Loki."

"So it does," he agreed, watching as the plate scurried off the table and out the door, eliciting shrieks and confusion where it passed. "Imagine that." His eyes met her own and his brother's, and all three of them burst into laughter.

"I've missed having you at parties, Loki," the older prince chuckled as he passed them their full plate. "You really add something…special. Sigyn, has he told you about the time he made an emissary's hairpiece come to life?"

"I don't believe so," she admitted, grinning in anticipation. "What emissary? Did they declare war?"

Thor tore through an enormous mouthful of meat before answering. "I don't really remember that," he admitted. "We were little boys – I think I was just tall enough to sit in a normal chair and see my plate. But she had this_ enormous _silver serpent set with sapphires coiled all through her hair, with the head staring at us above hers." He dropped his voice and leaned close to her. "She sat with us at this table, and I swear I could hear Loki's teeth chattering."

"I can still hear you," the prince in question commented, shoving his brother away from Sigyn. "_Anyway,_ it was a long, dull meal full of trade discussion and whatnot, so I became…bored." He smirked. "And I had just learned how to animate things, so…."

"In the middle of dinner?" Sigyn giggled.

"Dead in the middle, right as she was making some heated comment to Father. You should have seen her face!"

"He made the snake slither down and look right at her!" Thor laughed and she couldn't help but join him.

"I'm pretty sure I made it stick its tongue out, too," Loki mused, joining their laughter.

"My childhood would have been an empty wasteland without this troublemaker by my side," her brother-in-law explained, clapping Loki's shoulder.

"I know the feeling," Sigyn agreed, giving Loki an affectionate look. "How did you get away with that?"

"I didn't," Loki admitted, nuzzling her hair. "Father banished me to my room for the next two days."

"Because you humiliated an emissary from Nornheim, producing an incident that took me five years to resolve!" Odin boomed, glaring at his son from down the table. In the embarrassed silence that followed, his face relaxed into a smile. "Although, it might have taken less time if I hadn't laughed, too."

Sigyn stared back and forth among the family, then collapsed laughing against Loki. He chuckled, too, embracing her, and she could feel the relief radiating from him.

Since it was _Thor's_ birthday, the conversation eventually shifted to his exploits, which naturally turned into a recounting of battles. Sigyn tried not to show her discomfort. She knew that Thor fought in fair battles against enemies as eager for his blood as he was for theirs, so she didn't hold his military record against him….but _still. _

Loki must have noticed, for he kissed her forehead and picked up a green apple. "Here, these help relieve nausea." He held it in front of her, offering it.

She smiled up at him gratefully and took a bite. "Thank you," she murmured with her mouth full. Her stomach_ did _settle a bit, though she wasn't sure whether it was the apple or Loki's thoughtfulness. _I still wish they would talk about something else._

"You know," Loki drawled at the next pause, "no discussion of Thor would be complete without mentioning his _phenomenal _fishing skills."

Thor gave his brother a pained look. "Loki,_ don't…_"

Sigyn giggled and continued munching the apple throughout the story of their boyhood fishing trips, none of which were even slightly successful. By the time Loki reached the first thing Thor actually _caught_ – which turned out to be a particularly grumpy snapping turtle – she was down to the core and feeling much better.

Loki flicked the core away with his fingers as he continued telling the story, and rubbed her shoulder gently, as if to check that she was fine again.

_Well, it would be rude not to answer, _Sigyn thought mischievously. _And it would be unsupportive of me to let him cause _all _the trouble tonight. _So she caught his hand and began to lick the apple juice from it.

It was decidedly flattering to have Loki stop in the middle of his narration and turn all his attention to her.

_And that half-shy, half-purring look in his eyes is so…sweet. _She gave her husband a tender smile and snuggled closer to him, continuing to lick his hand, even when she felt everyone in the room freeze to stare at them.

Loki, after a few hesitant moments, wrapped his free arm around her and snuggled back.

The awkward, cozy silence was of course broken by Thor. "My friends," he shouted, standing from the table and raising his glass, "I wish to propose a toast." He grinned down at both of them, then went on. "To my brother Loki and his fair wife Sigyn, who at last are happily married!" He paused, thinking a moment. "Again!"

The room erupted into confused, half-hearted cheers, with genuine agreement from the King, Queen, and Warriors Three. _And Uncle Frey,_ Sigyn noticed, before she hid her scarlet face in Loki's neck.

Still holding her, Loki got to his feet, raised his own glass, and returned his brother's toast. "To my dear brother Thor: may the next year of his life teach him to be _quiet _on occasion!" Which was, she knew, Loki-speak for 'thank you.'

o-o-o-o

"May I borrow Sigyn for the first dance?" Thor asked when supper was over.

Loki rolled his eyes. "No, but you may _ask _her if she would _like_ to dance with you."

His brother smiled and extended his hand to Sigyn. "Will you open the dance with me, little sister?"

She hesitated. "I don't know many Asgardian dances."

_I hope she's not declining for fear I'll be jealous. I really don't have that privilege just now. _"Don't worry about that," he reassured her. "Neither does he!"

His wife giggled, then clapped her hand over her mouth guiltily. He nodded and smiled when she glanced up at him. "Well," she said, smiling back and taking Thor's hand, "all right, then."

Thor kissed her hand lightly and led her out onto the floor, waving happily to the musicians. Loki hadn't been lying, his brother really was not a knowledgeable dancer. But at least he was careful with Sigyn, watching for obstacles when he twirled her and making sure not to push her off balance.

"So your doubts have been laid to rest, my son?"

Loki turned to see his mother beside him, smiling. "I suppose you knew everything the whole time?"

"Perhaps not _everything,_" she allowed, "but I did know her feelings, yes." She placed a hand on his arm, watching his brother and wife dance together. Gradually, other couples began to join them, whirling almost in time to the music.

"Mother?" Loki asked. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he bowed to her. "Would you like to dance?"

Mother laughed, accepting his offered hand. "I would love to."

He took her hand and led her out onto the floor. Dancing was one of the few things Father was _not _good at, and he usually had other business to take care of at parties. Some of Loki's earliest memories were of 'dancing' with his mother, before he had quite gotten the hang of walking.

Unlike his brother, Loki had put in the practice time to become an excellent dancer. He was able to maneuver himself and his mother through the sea of people to dance beside Thor and Sigyn, without a single collision and perfectly in time with the music. His wife waved mid-spin when she saw them, and Thor grinned in greeting before narrowly missing the hem of someone's gown. By the way his foot moved at the last second, Loki suspected Sigyn had saved his brother from embarrassment, though he wouldn't point it out.

The song ended, and Loki bowed to his mother. "Thank you for dancing with me."

"You're quite welcome." Her eyes twinkled, and he knew she was looking forward to the next stage. "If you will excuse me, I think I'd better check on your father before that Muspelheim ambassador drives him into the Odinsleep." She turned to Thor. "I believe I saw Lady Sif looking for you, dear. You should take her away from Fandral before she does him serious harm."

Thor laughed. "I'll see what I can do." He kissed Sigyn's cheek quickly and departed to look for his friend.

Loki grinned down at his wife, who was now alone with him in the midst of the dance floor. "Shall we, my princess?"

Sigyn took his hand and allowed the other to settle on her back. "If you're sure you want to."

"Relax," he told her, stroking her back and drawing her closer. "Just follow me." She nodded, and Loki took in the feel of the music, moving them both along with it. As Sigyn learned his way of steering her, he made the dance a bit more complicated, adding layers of turns and occasionally lifting her off her feet.

When the song slowed down and softened to the end, he brought them to a stop and kissed the hand he was holding, wrapping his whole arm around her waist.

Sigyn laughed breathlessly. "I didn't know you could dance like that. It was…" She shook her head, searching for the word. "_Incredible._"

"Mm," he murmured, placing her hand on his shoulder and cupping her face. "I'm glad you chose to share it with me." She leaned into his touch, eyes fluttering closed. Loki leaned nearer, until their faces were only a whisper apart. "If I kiss you on the dance floor tonight, will I be in trouble again?"

Sigyn combed her free hand into his hair. "You'll be in trouble if you don't." So he did.


End file.
